Following the untimely marriage of his uncle, Claudius, to his mother, Gertrude, the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, is visited by the ghost of his deceased father, whom he learns was murdered by his uncle. Hamlet vows revenge upon Claudius, and soon his sadness turns to manic behavior, threatening to disrupt the fragile peace under the kingdom's new ruler, while war with Norway looms on the horizon.

Hamlet is derailed and distracted along the way to his revenge by his doubt as to the ghost's authenticity, as well as the love he holds for Ophelia, daughter to Polonius, and advisor to the King & Queen. Ophelia is used by her father and the King to attempt to get behind Hamlet's behavior, as Claudius begins to suspect he may know more than he is letting on.

Meanwhile, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Hamlet's friends from school, are summoned by the King & Queen in hopes of bringing Hamlet out of his melancholy and uncovering the reason for his madness. Hamlet soon discovers they are not visiting of their own accord and begins to suspect everyone ... eventually leading him to an elaborate plot which he calls, "The Mousetrap," a play within our play designed to catch King Claudius out and expose him as the murderer.

The plot works, King Claudius all but gives himself up to Hamlet, and is overheard confessing his sins; but Hamlet, summoned to and en route to his mother's bedchamber, is unable to take the King's life while he repents, elects instead to "trip" him while on his worst behavior.

In his mother's bedchamber, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius in a fit of rage and is visited once more by the ghost of his dead father. Hamlet, now a real threat to Claudius and his crown, is shipped off to England, with the intent of his execution in a sealed letter carried by Rosencrantz & Guildenstern.

Ophelia, meanwhile, learns of her father's murder at the hands of her boyfriend, and loses her mind. Her brother, Laertes, returns home from school with murderous intent towards Hamlet, and a broken heart for Ophelia, who eventually drowns herself in a brook, taken down by the weeds and flowers she adored in her life.

Hamlet escapes the execution plot, returns to Denmark, and learns of Ophelia's death, only to be challenged by Laertes to a duel. Unbeknownst to Hamlet, Laertes has joined with Claudius to murder him in the duel and, when the day arrives, mayhem and murder ensue...

Shakespeare's iconic tragedy, staged outdoors under the stars in our beautiful Shakespeare Gardens amphitheater. You will not want to miss this epic tale of murder most foul.

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